


For all occasions

by Miranduh



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Bipolar Ian Gallagher, But the effort is there, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Florist Mickey Milkovich, Fluff, Gallavich, Ian tries to woo mickey, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Like really tries to get that sweet ukranian ass in to his bed, M/M, So it might take a while, and well, everyone is doing so well, mickey is mickey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-07 16:34:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11627511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miranduh/pseuds/Miranduh
Summary: Ian is late on rent and needs help soothing the raging old lady that keeps banging at his door. He turns to Mandy's and finds a lot more than he was looking for.Alternatively: The flowershop AU (where Mickey is still as grumpy n Mickey-like as Mickey's supposed to be) I desperately need because all I want for Mickey is a nice, calm job and a beautiful boyfriend who takes care of him





	1. A summer wedding

 Ian Gallagher never thought he'd be in a position where he would actually put an effort into staying in the immediate vicinity of his unbelievably homophobic, racist and obnoxiously loud old hag of a landlord, but there he was, pondering over different methods of brown nosing that would let him do so. The small box of an apartment had become home to the redhead over the six months he had resided in it and Ian just wasn't ready to give it up yet. He and his landlady got off to a very rocky start, due to Ian's formerly booming sex life and the strange occurrence of all of his partners being incredibly loud in the sack. He had almost been kicked out twice just because of the noise complaints in the first four months, so he thought it was for the better of him to ease up on his habits. But now he was late on rent and this morning he had received another noise complaint, due to Lip visiting, along with a loud knocking at the door he promptly ignored, not wanting to give the old lady any wrong impressions about the half-naked man sleeping on his couch- Ian just knew that the "Oh no that's my brother he's visiting for the weekend" shpiel wouldn't go over well, because he had already used that for someone who was in fact not his brother.

 "Get her flowers or some shit. Chicks love flowers, even if they are older than the states," Lip paused. "I mean that the chick is older than the states. Not the flowers. Don't get your landlady dead flowers, Ian."

 Ian chuckled into his bowl of noodles. It was now eleven am and he was on his second meal of the day, while Lip had only woken up ten minutes ago. Ian was leaning on the counter next to the sink while Lip was slowly pacing around the kitchen, waiting for the coffee to drip. It wasn't that bad of an idea per se, but Ian didn't exactly want to buy flowers out of the blue for someone he despised. He expressed the thought to Lip before placing his now empty bowl into the sink for him to wash later.

 Lip snorted and restlessly walked to the coffee maker that quietly beeped, indicating the coffee was ready. "Oh just do it," Lip said, rolling his eyes. "Once she sees you with a bouquet of flowers and a wad of cash, you'll be right back on her good side."

 "Hah, if she even has one."

Once Lip had drunk his share of coffee and was energized to the max, he bid farewell to his brother and started out the door to be home in time for a meeting. Who the hell has meetings scheduled for Saturdays? Lip does, apparently. After he left, Ian was left all by his lonesome to attempt to come up with new strategies to help him stay in his home, but to no avail, so he looked up the nearest and the cheapest flower shop and headed out the door.

 Ian had clearly not planned this through. Who knew there were so many different flowers? In this little shop with the slogan " _For all occasions"_ , Mandy's it was called, Ian witnessed more variety in foliage and vegetation than he had in his entire life and to put it simply; Ian was overwhelmed. He had not been offered help, or even a hello, from the man fiddling with various pots and plants on the opposite side of the room when he set foot in the shop but for once in his life, he didn't feel weird asking for it. The man had his back turned to Ian, but the redhead spoke anyway: "Um, excuse me? I'm kinda lost. You see, I-"

 Ian was rendered silent when the man whipped around to look at him. The well postured back that made Ian feel comfortable with speaking did not match what now faced him. The man could somehow make a green apron look intimidating with the way he positioned his body like a guard dog ready to attack, even the way he tugged his gardening gloves off made Ian feel small. The man was beautiful though. He had striking blue eyes that, even while glaring, glistened beautifully in the sunlight that shone through the windows and dark raven hair that was styled to perfection. Ian had never felt so intimidated and simultaneously so intrigued by a man before in his life. He just wanted to roll over and expose his belly to this guy.

 "What do you want?" the man spoke, with a small fire to his voice, but nothing that would make customers turn away from the shop. Ian figured it was rehearsed that way.

 Ian took awhile to say anything, but when he did he could only muster one word: "Flowers."

 The man huffed a sort of a laugh and shoved his gloves into the front pocket of his apron, "Yeah? No shit."

 Finally managing to recover from the shock that was this man, Ian breathed and started: "Okay. So. I need a bouquet of flowers that would prevent me from getting kicked out of my home by a very angry lady that is not pleased with me because of some things I did in the past."

 The florist rolled his eyes and turned back to the plants he was previously potting: "Tough tits, dude. We don't help guys who fucked up shit with their ladies. Company policy."

 Ian stood, flabbergasted at the words, "What? My what?" The man glanced back at him and said: "If you fucked shit up with your girlfriend or whatever, I'm obligated to tell you to piss off and that you deserve what's coming for you. The owner's orders."

 "No! Oh, fuck no. I'm gay. And the angry lady I'm talking about is my landlady who isn't that pleased with my loud gayness. Well, I guess it's not _my_ loud gayness per se that she's pissed at but the loud gayness that happens in my apartment is my fault so I-" Ian stopped his rambling at the look on the florist's face. "Sorry. Not my girlfriend, though."

 The man turned around and nodded, "Okay."

Ian glanced down at the nametag pinned to the florist's apron, mulling over the name in his head: "Mickey." _Well, at least he doesn't seem like a huge homophobe so maybe I have a chance?_  Ian rubbed his hand over his face and explained: "Look, I'm a little late on my rent again and I got another noise complaint and judging from the way that she was banging at my door this morning, I have a feeling she would really like to kick me out of my own home right now. And I need something to ease her over but also kinda say: "Fuck you and your stupid homophobic ass 'cause I can actually pay my rent and be a good citizen" You know? I'm trusting you with my future right now."

Mickey nodded again, but this time he walked off and disappeared behind some paisley print curtains that hung as a divider of sorts next to some roses. Ian stood there for a moment until Mickey opened the curtain again and asked: "You comin' or not?" Ian quickly followed. Behind the curtains, there was another room, but instead of potted plants and greenery, like the previous room had had, this room was filled with pre-made bouquets and rows of unplucked flowers in different shapes and sizes.

 "So an angry old lady, huh?" Mickey said and dismissively ran his hand over some lilies as he stepped past them. Ian couldn't help but do a double take when he saw letters tattooed on to the man's knuckles. F-U-C-K. Ian nodded with a small smile on his face, not feeling the need to speak up even though Mickey had his back turned to him. The florist grabbed a pair of scissors from his back pocket, making Ian's gaze follow Mickey's hand over to the promised land. Oh dear god. If Mickey's overall stature and his beautiful face hadn't completely won Ian's heart, the wonderful curve of his ass sure as hell did. Sometimes Ian wondered if he ever truly was attracted to men his age, considering his previous relationships consisting mostly of married men, but in this moment, there wasn't a doubt in his mind about his preferences being anything else but the man standing in front of him. Ian spent the next few minutes discreetly eye fucking the quiet florist who was walking around the room collecting flowers and arranging them into a tight bunch.

 "Do you think this is a good idea?" Ian asked, out of the blue, somehow needing reassurance from Mickey to know if his plan was going to pull through or not. The man just tossed a quick glance at him and grunted. _Oh, do it again, slower this time._

Ian pressed on, "Like, if you were an old lady with a slightly bigoted mindset and you were intent on kicking out the loud gay guy who hasn't had any loud guests in a while, I might add, but then he brought you flowers and his rent money, would you consider letting me stay?"

 Mickey tossed another glance at him and shrugged, grumbling an "I don't fucking know". Ian sighed: "Well shit. Am I completely fucked? Can you not fix this with your magical bouquet making skills?"

And then it was like the sky opened up and the sun shone brighter than it ever had before. Mickey tossed him a smile. Ian's mouth dropped ajar at the beauty of it. And then the magic just kept on going, "I don't know if my magic works that strongly, Red, but I'm doing my best." Ian let out a sigh at the almost joking tone that Mickey spoke in.

 Ian was desperate to hear the florist speak more, so he quipped: "It's always the hair people grab on to, huh? I'm sure there's more to me than that."

 Mickey picked up the now complete bouquet and turned towards Ian, still gazing down at his work, "Not into hair grabbing then, Freckles? Different strokes, I guess." Ian's jaw dropped at the implication. Mickey glanced up at the man and Ian could have sworn there was a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks. Before Ian could reply, Mickey walked back through the curtain, saying: "So, it's gonna cost ya thirteen bucks." 

 _The hair pulling?_ Ian followed the man back into the other room and dug out his wallet. He fished out a twenty and gazed at the bouquet. It was a beautiful mix of oranges and dainty purples that Ian considered to keep all for himself instead of for bribing the landlady. He smiled and handed the note over, saying: "Keep the change. It's beautiful, thank you."

 Mickey grunted with a crease between his brows, "We ain't a charity." and tried to hand back seven dollars. Ian just grabbed his bouquet and lifted his other hand up with a smile, "Tough tits," Ian quoted the man. "'Cause I ain't takin that back."

Mickey glared at Ian's raised hand and the small smile that played on his lips but eventually put the money back into the register. When he looked up and found Ian still standing there he grunted again, "The fuck you still here for, Red?"

 Ian just grinned and said, "It's Ian. And thank you for your magic, Mickey. I'll see you around." Mickey just huffed something that resembled a: "Whatever." And then Ian left the shop with a ding of the bell. Once he rounded the corner and the flower shop wasn't visible anymore, Ian stopped to stare at the flowers.

Ian Gallagher had a new mission: To woo the ex-thug looking florist and have a delightful summer wedding with an orange and light purple color scheme.


	2. The first born

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian is desperate for another reason to visit the flowershop and, as from request, he gets one

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I totally had written like 2000 words but the fucker didn't save so I desperately tried to emulate the amazingness that was the first version of this... Anyway, I do hope this is a worthy addition to the story!

 It had been a week since Ian had bribed his landlord with the flowers and he was already growing desperate to find a reason to visit the shop again. It was a god awful shame that Mickey worked in a flower shop instead of a restaurant or a library or something of that sort because it would be incredibly difficult to just visit the shop nonchalantly and not looking like the weird obsessive stalker that he more or less was. Or he would be if Mickey possessed any form of social media other than the facebook page for the flower shop. And Ian knew he didn't because he had spent countless hours desperately trying to find any information on the man. He did learn that his last name was Milkovich though, which lead him to find Mandy. Mandy was the co-owner of the shop and also Mickey's sister, but sadly she wasn't active on social media either.

 Ian slapped his laptop closed after another attempt at finding Mickey and sighed. It wasn't like he could just go and buy flowers either, cause he wasn't that guy with flowers in his apartment and he didn't want Mickey to think he was one either. Which was a weird thing to want because, judging from his profession, Mickey was that kind of a guy.  _But not colorful bouquets though. I bet he has cacti and other potted plants in his apartment. He seems like he does._ Ian groaned at his own thoughts. Thinking of Mickey's apartment was dangerous waters because apartments contain beds and various other surfaces that are fit for plenty of activities that would result in Ian not being able to look Mickey in the eye if he thought about them too hard.  _Speaking of hard._ "Well, fuck."

Thankfully, Ian's growing problem was interrupted by his phone ringing and flashing: "Fiona is calling" It brought a smile to Ian's face. The now heavily pregnant woman rarely called to check up on Ian anymore, so any time one of them did reach out it resulted in several hours of gossip and laughter. Ian answered the phone just to be met with distant shouting and a groan from Fiona. Ian panicked: "You okay, Fi?"

 "She's coming. It's happening. The watermelon is about to be birthed," Fiona huffed, with a tinge of pain in her voice. Ian burst out in a grin and asked: "Really?"

 He quickly realized the mistake of asking stupid questions from a highly stressed and in pain, hormonal woman when he was met with shouting. The grin still stayed on Ian's face, "I'll be right there, Fi."

 And he was. He took a taxi, which was a rare occasion for the Gallagher and while he was sitting in the back seat, he realized the significance of the events.

  _I can go buy flowers now._

 The birth was as easy as pushing out a human being can be, taking only a few hours and a row of cheerleaders made up of the Gallaghers and the Balls. Kev and Vee had been with Fiona when her water broke, but luckily the twins were with their grandmother so they could just haul ass to the hospital without having to deal with the little girls. Fiona gave birth to a healthy baby girl with fire red hair, who was quickly named Sofia. Ian and Debbie gave their condolences at the unfortunate hair color and the painful future sunburns to come.

 The whole gang made their way to Fiona's the next day, after spending the night in the waiting lounge area and/or on the floor of Fiona's hospital room. She tolerated them for a while, appreciating the unnecessary help and understanding that she couldn't get them to leave even if they were threatened with a shotgun, so she let them stay until Sunday night, then shooing them off due to their respective duties, be it work or school or twin girls who kept calling for their parents to pick them up.

 Ian was all smiles on Monday, making more sales than he ever did in a day. He worked at a company that produced those ballpoint pens and mugs and what have you for companies that give them out for advertisement. Their ballpoint pens were smooth and had a nice weight to them, so Ian felt good for working there. Everyone needs great ballpoint pens in their life. And he liked it because he was good at it, too. He was fluid in smooth talking people into doing what he wanted, so in the few months he had been working there, he had already been promoted. Ian was happy. His mental state stayed at a normal level, he wasn't stressed and he got a good income from it, too. But this time his smiles weren't the result of nice weather or even from the new lovely addition to his family. No, this particular days happiness resulted from the fact that Mandy's was open until six and Ian got off at four. He was going to go and buy flowers from the breathtakingly intimidating yet hot as hell florist.

 When the clock did indicate that it was time to go home, Ian had already put on his coat and stepped out of the building. He fiddled with his white button up and smoother over his jeans as he walked towards his destination. _I could go home and change._  His office was from a walking distance from his apartment which instead was from a walking distance from Mandy's, which meant that it would take Ian ten minutes to reach Mickey. He was pondering over the issue of: "How many buttons should I leave open?" when he realized that the shop was now in sight. He opted for two, and then the bell rang over his head as he stepped into the shop. There was no-one in the room and Ian's mind started going a mile a minute.  _I could turn back now. I could go home. He wouldn't even know that I-_

The curtain opened and Mickey stepped in, gorgeous as ever in a black t-shirt and that green apron that somehow didn't look intimidating anymore. He was carrying a bag that Ian assumed was filled with sand by the way Mickey's muscled strained with the weight of it. Ian's expression could obnoxiously, yet very accurately, be described as the heart eyes emoji.

 Mickey took a glance at the visitor and asked: "Pissed off another landlady with your gay ways, did ya, Red?"

 Ian nodded slowly, snapping out of it when Mickey dropped the bag on to the counter next to the spot Ian first saw him in. "No, actually. This time, it's another lady with a lot of hormones and also a newborn baby. And she isn't pissed off at me. I don't think she is, anyway," Ian spoke, stepping properly into the shop, faking a casual demeanor by scanning his eyes over the potted plants that sat in rows next to the windows.

 The florist turned around and leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms and raising his brows in a way that clearly said: "Go on." Ian cleared his throat and shoved his hands into his coat pockets, not knowing how to act under Mickey's gaze. Then he said: "Okay, so my sister, Fiona, had a baby girl, Sofia, this past Friday. And I would like to give her something that says: "I love you and I love your baby even more, so here is this plant. And also I hope you give the baby plenty of kisses on her ginger head whenever I myself am unable to. And also I hope you don't get sleep deprivation and die." I mean, something along those lines."

 Mickey nodded with a ghost of a smile on his lips, then asked: "This her first kid?" Ian nodded in response. He liked the contrast of Mickey's few words to his ever blabbing motor mouth. The few words he did speak made Ian's heart flutter, no matter how uncharming the words actually were.

 "Okay," Mickey nodded, not moving from his spot, but looking around the room. "It okay if it ain't a bouquet?" Ian nodded again, this time with a bigger smile. "Why not a bouquet?" the redhead questioned the man that was now walking across the room.

 "Dies quick. That ain't good for a busy new mom. She needs something longlasting and pretty," Mickey spoke now looking over some plants that bloomed different shades of yellow and red. Ian bit his lip at the way Mickey said the word "pretty". It made him wish the man would call him pretty too.

 Ian nodded again. Mickey looked back at him, finding the quiet air strange. Ian flushed at the gaze, suddenly feeling very strange just standing there with his hands shoved down his pockets so he walked next to Mickey to look at the plants and started talking: "So what would you recommend? She likes plants with pretty colors and if they look kinda funny then that's even better. She thinks that if a plant looks too perfect then she starts feeling like it's mocking her or something. It's kinda weird, eh? I like pretty plant's though, I like all sorts of plants, yeah. Like I don't have any in my home 'cause they always die and then I feel really bad and I can't take on the pressure of keeping plants alive, I mean that's like a child, but even harder because it's quiet so you forget about it and-" Ian stopped to find Mickey looking up at him with a small yellow kind of tree looking thing in his hands.

 Mickey raised his brows, again, clearly saying: "You done?" And when Ian stayed quiet he spoke: "This is a crassula ovata or the Sunset Jade. This one is just a lil guy, but if you properly take care of it, it can grow to about three feet tall. You gotta water it regularly, but to put it real simple: When the soil is dry, make it wet again. But in the winter, when the yellow bits have turned white, it's even less than that. You gotta keep it in the sun so stick it in front of a window. It's a succulent so she's gonna have to really try to neglect this baby."

 Ian could have applauded the man right there. Ian could have cried. There were so many words that just left Mickey's mouth and he sounded so fond of the plant, too. Ian just resulted in nodding and smiling happily at the florist. He left the shop with a piece of paper with care instructions and a new desire to regularly go buy new potted plants from the shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and opinions are always greatly appreciated :D


	3. The family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian gets stuck and is rescued by Prince Brooding, also: two sisters find out about Ian's infatuation

 Fiona had loved the plant and after a half an hour of questioning, she finally found out why she got it. It wasn't a normal thing to buy plants for people. It was strange and unusual, even for their family. But when the woman found out it was because of a boy, she told Ian that Vee could also use some houseplants and that Ian could reason it by saying that it's Vee's birthday soon. Ian responded with a groan from his place on the couch that stirred Sofia, who was asleep on his chest. And when Ian told her he figured that he would just become that guy with potted plants all around his house, Fiona burst out laughing and muffled it with a pillow. Ian threatened to never tell her about his infatuations anymore, but Fiona knew he couldn't keep that all to himself. He also expressed his concern about his recently acquired case of the motormouths, and Fiona chuckled at him sympathetically. Eventually, after Sofia woke up and freed Ian from his spot on the couch, the man bid his farewell and promised to visit soon. Fiona faked offended by saying that she was sure they all just visited because of the baby. Ian told him she was correct. It earned him an affectionate hand messing up his hair.

 On the subway ride home, Ian couldn't put the thought of "I will never have a casual, out of the shop conversation with Mickey and that really puts a damper on the wedding plans" behind him. So much so that he missed his stop and had to walk a few extra blocks to get home. He picked up a cup of coffee when he passed a small coffee shop. He had suddenly grown tired and was having trouble keeping his eyes open. Ian kept walking and sipping on his latte as it started drizzling rain.

 It happened before he could even realize he was doing it- The bell rang over his head and the scent of moist dirt and vegetation reached his nose. His hair was now dripping from the rain and his grey coat looked almost black from the shoulders.  _Why am I here? What am I even gonna buy? I could still leave-_

 The curtain opened and out stepped a Milkovich. This one, however, unlike the usual brooding florist, had long raven hair and did not wear an apron over her jeans and sweater. Mandy was a beautiful girl, her photos really didn't do her justice.

 "Can I help you?" Mandy spoke, her tone resembling Mickey's but she actually seemed like she didn't mind the customer.

 Ian bit his lip, trying to piece together a proper answer, "Well, to be honest with you, unlike before, I don't have a purpose to my visit. I'm here 'cause it's raining."

 Mandy nodded: "Fair enough. Wanna sit down? There's an extra chair here." She motioned to behind the counter, where she was standing. Ian shook his head politely and spoke before drinking more of his coffee, "Nah, it's fine. I'll look around a bit if that's okay."

He started a slow walk around the perimeter of the room, where the plants were set in neat rows. As Ian read the names he realized that they were in some sort of a strange order categorized under the plant family and then the common name. It was wild. He wondered if the order was Mickey's doing, so being his usual self, he asked: "What's with the alphabetical order?"

 Mandy stood up from the chair she had been sitting on and padded over to Ian. She looked down at the tags on the plants and her eyes widened: "They're in order? How?" The woman always figured Mickey just remembered where everything was in the chaos.

 Ian smiled. So it was Mickey. He pointed at the scientific names of a few of the plants and said: "Well these all start with an 's' and then the common names are organized under that. See?"

 Mandy snorted to herself and huffed: "What a nerd." Ian furrowed his brows and looked at the girl. Her eyes widened, "Oh shit, no I don't mean you! I mean my brother is a huge nerd. The one who did the alphabetical order shit. Mickey."

 Ian nodded, looking back at the plants, "I've met him a couple times."

 Mandy leaned against the counter and looked at Ian, "And somehow you're still willingly here."

 Ian flushed slightly and hid whatever expression was trying to overcome his face by taking another drink from his coffee. "He's cool. He helped me mend my relationship with a very irritated old lady and made my sister actually excited about owning a plant. That doesn't happen, like, ever," Ian said with a smile.

 Mandy nodded, her eyes darting over Ian's face and then moving to the paisley print curtain that was moved to the side by her brother. Ian turned at the sound. Mickey was carrying a bonsai tree and looking at it with a frown on his face, he didn't even glance up when he said: "You haven't touched this one, have you? There's a broken branch on it and if it wasn't you then I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to shoot that cat of yours."

 Mickey looked up to see Mandy with an angry look on her face and Ian with his lips slightly parted and with an awed expression on his features. "Excuse me, assface, but you will not touch Sparkles or I will personally snap every single twig of that stupid tree, and mess up the alphabetical order of there plants. And by the way, you're a nerd," Mandy spoke rapidly and moved her hands as she talked. Ian found it delightful.

 Mickey huffed and set the tree gently on the counter, saying: "They're not in an order, bitch." Mandy chuckled, "Hah! But they are! Firecrotch here," she motioned to Ian. "Found your little nerd secret out." Ian averted his gaze at the pointed look Mickey sent his way.

 Mickey crossed his arms and asked: "Back so soon? Piss off more ladies? Acquire some new family members?" The words were spiky but the delivery lacked heat, which signaled Ian that his presence wasn't actually all that bothering and that he could look the man in the eyes. When he did, he once again just wanted to roll on his back and expose his stomach.

 Ian shook his head: "No, sir. Today I am problem free and just came to enjoy the view." The direct eye contact made the statement seem more direct than Ian had intended, but when he saw that faint blush reach Mickey's cheeks again, he really didn't mind it.

 The silence hung slightly too long, Mickey feeling too ruffled to speak and Mandy just wanted to relish in the exchange, so Ian spoke: "But I have been thinking of a plant. For my own home. To have."

 Mickey eyed him with an unreadable expression on his face. "You kill all of your plants." Ian's heart fluttered at that. He remembered. Granted, it had only been two days since the exchange had happened but most of what Ian says usually just escapes the listeners brain the second it enters. The man shrugged and said: "Well, I don't know. To be honest with you, Mickey, I have never tried. I just assumed that they would die, so I don't buy any."

It was a half lie that Mickey didn't buy but he started looking at the greenery anyway. Ian watched the florist's microexpressions change as he looked over the selection against the walls. Mandy huffed: "Well shit, the rain is just gettin' worse." Ian turned his head from Mickey to the windows and sighed.

 Mandy abandoned her spot next to Ian and walked around the counter that held the cash register and picked up her phone. "Fuck," she huffed, glancing up at Ian. "It's closing time. I mean you can hang around for a bit but I don't think that the rain is gonna stop any time soon," she said, bracing her forearms on the counter.

 Ian bit his lip and asked: "It's six already?" Mandy nodded. Mickey had now stopped gazing around the store and walked beside Ian, making the redhead shift slightly to keep him in sight.

 Mandy started: "I mean like I said, you can stay and hang out, it's cool with me-" Ian shook his head, "Nah, I gotta get home. I need to, um,"  _take my meds,_ "Do something. It's just a ten-minute walk, though."

 Mickey picked up a spiky looking plant that Ian remotely recognized as Aloe Vera and grumbled: "I'll take ya."

 Ian and Mandy both just stared at him, Mandy with a knowing smile on her face and Ian, again, with a look of awe on his face. "Really?" Ian asked with an expression that would make someone think that the florist just hung the moon. Mickey just nodded and handed Ian the plant and said: "This is an Aloe plant. It's real easy to take care of, just don't drown it. You need ta water it once every week or two, less in the winter. Don't put it in direct sunlight or it'll go brown, but if it does: Don't just fucking toss it, cause it's still alive. It's real easy, even for a plant killer."

 Ian nodded and followed Mickey to the cash register. "It's three bucks," the man said, once again establishing heavy eye contact. Ian happily handed over five and this time accepted the change. Mickey seemed pleased at that and shot a glance at Mandy, asking: "Is it okay if I leave? I mean do I gotta help you with your taxes or some shit?"

 Mandy rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically: "Well I suppose I'll be fine all by my lonesome. I most likely will not die in a fire caused by shotty wiring or drown in the bathtub. You never know though."

 Mickey huffed and tugged off his apron, setting it under the cash register. "I'll be right back, Freckles," he said before walking off into the other room and out of sight. Ian heard a door open and close and then he was left alone with Mandy. The girl smirked at Ian and said: "So. You got the hots for Mickey, huh?"

 Ian's eyes shot back to stare into Mandy's, his hands fiddling with the now empty paper mug. "Uh... I mean.."

 Mandy waved her hand flippantly and smiled, "It's cool. You seem like a good kid so I approve of your attempts at getting into his pants. But just know that if you hurt him I will personally castrate you and also feed your eyes to Sparkles."

 Ian nodded, slightly confused by the situation, but the twilight zone-esque state didn't last long because quickly Mickey appeared again. He had changed his clothes from the dirty jeans and t-shirt to a clean, slightly different version of the outfit. "You set?" he asked, his car keys in hand. Ian nodded, slightly registering the smile on Mandy's face and then they were off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter!


	4. Not that you are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey takes Ian home and they encounter a formerly angry lady

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM BACK YALL. wow. its really been a year?? my bad..... But I just watched all Gallavich scenes (I've fallen off from watching the show) and I miss my boys. so here this is again! (Sorry that it's short!!)

 Mickey's car was clearly an old one. The model of it- not the condition. It was clearly taken care of well and repaired whenever necessary. Ian admired the plush leather seats and the shiny chrome accents around the inside of the vehicle. He could tell Mickey was proud of it, because when Ian exclaimed: "Cool car!" Mickey blushed. He did also mutter a thank you but the clear pink on his cheeks was more than enough for Ian. When seated in the car, Ian was delighted to realize that Mickey had combed his hair  _and_ put on some sort of a faint fragrance that blended beautifully into the light scent of gardening that Mickey seemed to naturally carry; Maybe it was so stuck in his skin and hair, that it never completely left. But Mickey had made an effort. And the only thing Ian could get his mind to assume was that the effort was for him.

 After staring at Mickey's hands gripping the steering wheel and the gear stick-  _Lord have mercy-_ for some time, he came to and finally read what was on his knuckles. FUCK U-UP.  _Sweet._ And then he came even more to and realized that Mickey was talking to him. "I'm sorry, what?" he blurted. Mickey scoffed and asked: "Where am I talkin' ya?"

  _Anywhere._ "Or am I gonna just drive you around town and drop you off in a ditch somewhere?" Mickey said and glanced at Ian. Gallagher shook his head: "Oh yeah, my home. Umm," he paused to look where they had already driven and replied: "A few blocks up and left at the library. I'm a bit away from it."

 Mickey nodded and they continued to drive in silence. Ian played with the aloe in his lap only to be smacked by a pale hand. "Oi!" Ian gasped and drew back his hand. "Oi, exactly. Don't mess with the lil guy," Mickey scrunched up his brows. Ian had to bite his lip not to laugh and the other man noticed. Mickey glared at him and pleaded with a gruff voice: "Oh c'mon. You were messing with it. Not cool."

 Ian laughed that time. Somehow Mickey managed to be completely adorable and menacing at the same time. Mickey rolled his eyes as they rounded the corner past the library. "Whatever you say plant daddy," Ian chuckled and gave a little pet to the aloe plant. Mickey glared again. Ian smiled.

 "This is me. The yellow one," Ian pointed as his apartment building came to view. Mickey stopped near front doors and as Ian was readying himself to ask Mickey if he'd like to come up, the doors opened and a woman stepped out underneath a large black umbrella, but not just any woman. "Shit-" Ian whisper yelled and dropped himself almost completely to the floor. Mickey did it too, but in a way more defensive manner- In the way you'd sometimes have to get down back in the Southside when an alarming thing or the other was happening. " _What,_ " Mickey said with such strength Ian wanted to apologize for scaring him. And so he did: "No, I'm sorry. Um- That was my landlady."

 Mickey glared again but stayed down, "I thought you would've paid the rent already."

 Ian nodded, "Yeah, of course, I did."

 "Then what's the problem?" Mickey poked his tongue out to lick his lips.  _Oh dear._

 "Um- Well,  _you,_ " Ian explained; Mickey glared. " _No_ , I mean like, you're a dude dropping me off. And as much as she doesn't hate  _me_ right now, she still dislikes a _part_ of me."

 Mickey nodded slowly with a stern look in his eyes.  _Oh shit._ "Not that she'd think you're gay or anything," Ian started to frantically explain: "It's just that  _I'm_ really gay and I don't have that many friends over-"

 Mickey grunted, "It's fine, man. She's gone now."

Ian carefully rose and looked around to find the lady nowhere to be seen. He then turned to Mickey who was now sitting calmly with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, looking for his lighter, and said: "Well, thanks.  _And_ sorry. And thanks again for this." He gestured to the plant in his hands.

 Mickey looked up and removed the now lit cigarette from his mouth, "No problem, and you bought it. So."

 Ian nodded. Mickey kept staring at the zero movements to exit the car and huffed a chuckle. He considered saying something, but then Ian asked: "D'you wanna come up?"

 Mickey took a drag of his cigarette and before he could even begin to answer, Ian cut in: "It's just that I don't know how I'm sposed to pay you for this and I don't know I have like beer in my fridge and-"

 "You don't gotta pay me nothin'. I already owe you seven. And I gotta go anyway," Mickey said. This time Ian felt as if the whole ordeal was spiky and uncomfortable so he just nodded and exited the car with a "Thanks, Mickey." and ran inside from the pouring rain.

 The rest of the evening was spent melodramatically gazing out of the window, laying in bed sighing and glaring at the stupid aloe Ian wished would just turn brown and die. He then apologized to it and watered it slightly, as instructed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again,, Sorry it suuuuuper short im just not exactly sure where to go w a certain aspect of the story but I wanted to give yall something since ive been such a lil shit. Thanks for reading and comments are always appreciated, now more than ever!


	5. Delivery man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian buys a friend and gets one for free, too.

 A week or so rolled by in a work frenzy after Mickey had dropped Ian off. There had been some miscalculations and plenty of wrong deliveries all in the same day, so Ian spent extra time at the office and when he finally got home, he would continue thinking about work. And then on the days he did have more time, he'd visit Sofia. So, the only moments he had the time to think about the florist were when he would pass by the plant he bought. It sat on his bedroom windowsill, happy as a plant could be. Ian was sitting on his bed, just got off of work, when he decided that the aloe looked lonely. He wouldn't have time to visit the shop anymore since it was closing in ten minutes. But they did do deliveries. So the next thing he knew he was dialing up Mandy's. He had found the number a while ago on his failed stalking adventures and had saved it on his phone in case he ever needed an impromptu flower bouquet delivery- You know, as one does. 

  _Beep- Beep- Beep- Bee-_ "Mandy's. What can I do for ya?" Answered a singsongy Mandy.

 "Oh- Hi! I would like a plant of sorts," Ian replied, nipping pieces of lint from his blanket.

 A small silence followed, but then she asked: "Ian?"

 Ian chuckled nervously, "Well, yeah. It's just that you're closing soon and I think my aloe needs a friend. She seems lonely."

 Mandy laughed, audibly pulling the phone away from her ear to cackle freely, "Oh boy, you're nuts, Red. I like you. What kinda plant you lookin' for?"

 "Umm. A- A good one?" Ian tried, which resulted in more laughter. "I don't know, Mandy. Something nice and pretty looking."

 Mandy sighed and nodded, "Does it gotta be easy? Like, would you mind putting in the effort? You know, that the plant would, umm... Flourish with you?"

  _What._ "I mean... I don't mind the challenge. The aloe is easy enough, she just needs a friend," Ian trailed off, not really knowing what to say.

 "Okay, so I'll surprise you. What's your budget?" Mandy said, clearly writing something down on a piece of paper.

 ~

 The next hour Ian was at peace. The extra workload was done with for good, so whilst he waited for Mandy to bring him his new friend, he cooked. He was terrible at it in the grand scale of things, but cooking made him happy, so he was delighted to return back to making his own meals instead of eating boxed Chinese food at the office. This time he opted for zucchini noodles and a mushroom sauce. He had learned the recipe from an ex-something of his that worked as a sous-chef at some phony restaurant uptown.

 There was a knock at his door when he was straining the noodles, so he shouted: "It's open!" They stepped in and took slow steps towards the kitchen, where Ian was wiping his hands. He turned around and went to greet the guest. 

 "Mand- Oh hi Mickey," Ian stopped in his tracks and smoothed out his shirt.  _So he's the delivery man._

 Mickey nodded a greeting and went on to explain information about the fern he was holding. Ian missed most of it because he was still processing Mickey and the fact that he was in Ian's apartment and that Ian was wearing gym shorts and an old t-shirt whilst Mickey was clad in dark jeans and a burgundy button up with a warm jacket on top. The fern would apparently grow flowers if it was happy enough, but even if it didn't, it was still doing okay. Ian nodded as Mickey ended his shpiel about the plant.

 They stood there for a while before Ian realized to reach for his wallet. The plant was twenty dollars. Mickey took it upon himself to walk around the apartment, holding the fern while Ian looked for money. Eventually, Ian found him in his bedroom, setting the fern down on the floor next to the aloe. Ian gaped, not only at Mickey's ass but at his unmade bed and his work clothes that he had left on the chair but forced himself not to worry about them. He smoothed out his shirt again, the twenty bucks in hand. Mickey turned around with a handwritten note, the same kind he received with the aloe and handed it to Ian in exchange for the money.

 "Thanks," Ian nodded with a small smile. Mickey grunted with an equal nod. He stepped past Ian and with the redhead trailing behind, he continued looking around the apartment.

 "So the invitation still on?" Mickey asked once they were out of the hallway leading to the bedroom.

  _The what?_ The invitation.  _The invitation!_ "Yeah, sure," Ian nodded, suppressing the gasping teenage girl that resided somewhere in the west wings of his heart, "I made food."

 Mickey raised his brows, shrugging off his jacket. It was a question, for certain.  _Look at those arms._ "Zucchini noodles and-"

 "The fuck? What's wrong with normal spaghetti these days?" Mickey laughed.

 Ian went to stir his mushroom sauce as Mickey hung up his jacket. "I mean I can order pizza or something."

 Mickey pulled up a chair to the island and sat down, "Nah, man. Sorry. I'll try it."

 Ian nodded and hummed happily, barely audible. He plated their meals and pushed one plate in front of Mickey. The man poked at the food first, shooting a sarcastically grateful smile at Ian, which received an eye roll and an "Oh come on, wuss." Eventually, after Ian had eaten through a third of his food and panicked about Mickey's presence, Mickey shoved a forkful into his mouth. It was delicious. Ian laughed at the fast pace the plate began to empty. After dinner, Mickey thanked for the food, graciously accepted a bottle of beer and sat down on the couch.

 Ian tapped nervously on the bottle as Mickey took his first swig.  _What do I talk about? Plants? What does he like? Should-_

 "Your landlady was nice enough," Mickey commented, turning his body slightly towards Ian. 

  _Oh, thank god._ Ian nodded, turning slightly himself, "I mean, yeah. But you're just the delivery man, now."

 Mickey chuckled, "I don't know, Red. There's some... Stereotypes. About delivery men. Not that innocent."

 Ian choked on his beer. Mickey grinned with his perfectly white teeth showing.  _Swoon._ "About that though. I thought Mandy would deliver the new guy- The fern," Ian asked, happy about his mediocre ability to continue a conversation, even when being stared down by the prettiest man he had ever seen.

 "Well, yeah. We split this stuff," Mickey made a gesture with his hand that didn't indicate it, but meant "deliveries","And I live closer to here than she does."

 Ian nodded, wanting to ask  _where_ Mickey lived but figured that'd be strange. So he was relieved when Mickey continued, "An' I wanted to um- Explain that I didn't come up last time 'cause I had 'o go to the movies."

  _Did he go on a date?_ Ian frowned slightly at the thought that the cologne and combed hair hadn't been for him, before asking, "Who'd ya go with?"

 Mickey drank some beer and laughed, "Uh- With my nephew,"  _swoon,_ "My brother's kid wanted to go see some cartoon but Jamie was at work, so I went."

 "That's the cutest thing I've ever heard, not gonna lie to you, Mick," Ian smiled, teasingly. Mickey glared and smacked his leg, "Let's watch a movie or some shit."

 Ian saluted with a grin, "Yes, sir."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So clearly I've changed the title of this story (reference to the slogan of the shop that wasn't written in before but is now (it doesn't have any meaning in the story tho)) and my name, but I also went through the previous chapters and spell checked and whoo boy there was a lot of mistakes. Why didn't yall let me know?? Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this, as always!

**Author's Note:**

> Please!! Tell me what you think of this! I haven't written a Gallavich AU before, or grown up Gallavich either, so this is brand new waters for me. I hope you did enjoy because I really liked writing this!


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